NORA funding opens for bids

A £20,000 funding pot aimed at supporting Orkney projects to collaborate with communities in the Faroes, Iceland, Greenland and coastal Norway has opened for applications.  

The Nordic Atlantic Cooperation Fund is part of Orkney Islands Council’s three-year commitment to exploring international engagement opportunities, which has included working with the Nordic Atlantic Cooperation (NORA) to support collaboration with organisations and businesses across the NORA region.  

In 2023 Orkney Islands Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding with NORA, following an earlier Council decision to support international engagement for a period of three years up to 2024/25. 

Council Leader Heather Woodbridge said: “In what is a challenging funding environment for local government, this fund will help our community to identify opportunities to strengthen links with those across the North Atlantic.    

“These are communities which share similar challenges to ours and so the fund seeks to develop solutions relating to living and working in northern communities and climates. 

“The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding last year was based on shared cultural values and histories, similar geographies, trust, understanding, respect and an ambition to make the North Atlantic a better place to live.  

“This included a commitment to work collaboratively and facilitate the funding of projects that support the shared commitments of both organisations - the Nordic Atlantic Cooperation Fund is a vital component of that.” 

The fund opens on October 4 with more information available by visiting the OIC Grants and Funds page (orkney.gov.uk). 

Projects which have seen similar collaboration across the NORA region include the Iceland Ocean Cluster a programme looking to maximise the full value of fish by ensuring zero discards and the Faroe Islands’ ‘Closed for Maintenance’ Programme which has seen communities come together to maintain their path network, with a focus on sustainable tourism. 

The Nordic Atlantic Cooperation (NORA) is an intergovernmental organisation under the regional cooperation programme of the Nordic Council of Ministers that brings together Greenland, Iceland, Faroe Islands and coastal Norway. 

NORA contributes to reinforcing regional cooperation with the aim of making the North Atlantic a strong and dynamic part of the Nordic region that is defined by its robust sustainable economic development. NORA’s initiatives include strengthening cross-border collaboration between the private sector and research and development bodies.